MasterChef Australia’s Melissa Leong reveals she has a ‘secret code word’ with producers on the set of the series… so what is it used for?
Melissa Leong has won over audiences and become a household name since stepping in as a judge on MasterChef.
And on Wednesday, the food critic, 40, revealed: ‘I have a code word with our executive producer.’
Melissa told the We Are The Real Ones podcast that she struggles with clinical depression and uses the code to tell a producer that she needs some time to herself.
What does she use it for? MasterChef judge Melissa Leong revealed she has a ‘secret code word’ with the producers on set
She explained that on set there is never really a spare moment because there are always meetings to be had, but sometimes she will need a quiet moment to herself.
‘If I need a day like that where I just need that little bubble of time, it could be 10 minutes, I will tell them and they will find the next available opportunity for me to just have a minute,’ she said.
Melissa added that it was important for her to get a bit of space, especially working as part of a group.
Just a moment: She told to We Are The Real Ones podcast that she struggles with clinical depression and uses the code to tell a producer that she needs some time to herself
‘You are part of a team, and the team succeeds when every single member of that team is firing on all cylinders, so they (the producers) understand that,’ she added, noting that Channel 10 and Endemol Shine were considerate to her needs.
She also told the podcast that she had suffered a breakdown in her past and had started going to therapy in her 20s.
Melissa said: ‘It has been part of my life and my story. It was an instance of too much on the plate and the plate ended up breaking under the weight of all those things.’
The food critic said she now insistent on taking care of her mental health.
Time to gather herself: The food critic explained, ‘If I need a day like that where I just need that little bubble of time, it could be 10 minutes, I will tell them and they will find the next available opportunity for me to just have a minute’
Keeping the dynamic up: ‘You are part of a team, and the team succeeds when every single member of that team is firing on all cylinders, so they (the producers) understand that,’ she added. Pictured Melissa with co-judges Andy Allen (left) and Jock Zonfrillo (right)
It comes after Melissa explained how she copes with negative criticism online after taking on the role of new judge on the popular Channel Ten culinary competition.
Speaking to TV Week magazine on Monday, she said it was important to remember that no-one is ‘universally’ loved.
Melissa went on to say that despite her confidence, she has trouble being ‘comfortable’ in her own skin.
MasterChef continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
Dealing with the negativity: On Monday, she told TV Week magazine that she copes with negative criticism online by accepting that no-one is ‘universally’ loved